2nd largest plant in Wyoming · 89th nationally
Laramie River Station is a coal power plant in Wyoming with a nameplate capacity of 1,863 MW. It generates roughly 9.5M MWh per year — enough to power about 901,421 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 58% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2537 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,863 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Laramie River Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Basin Electric Power Coop |
| City | Wheatland |
| County | Platte County |
| State | Wyoming |
| ZIP | 82201 |
| Coordinates | 42.10889, -104.88250 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 621 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 621 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 621 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri Basin Muni Power Agny | Sioux Falls, SD | 5000.0% |
| Basin Electric Power Coop | Bismarck, ND | 4214.3% |
| Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc | Westminster, CO | 4044.0% |
| Lincoln Electric System | Lincoln, NE | 1288.3% |
| Wyoming Municipal Power Agency | Lusk, WY | 202.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 12.0M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 6.6k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 6.9k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2537 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.